History and future of industrial crop accessions preserved by CREA-CI in Bologna and Rovigo, Italy

The conservation and exploitation of industrial crops at the Cereal and Industrial Crop Centre of the Council for Research in Agriculture and Economics (CREA-CI, the Bologna and Rovigo Research Centres) date back to the beginning of the 20th century and has led to the development of a germplasm ban...

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Main Authors: Ilaria Alberti, Manuela Bagatta, Andrea Del Gatto, Massimo Montanari, Daniela Pacifico, Andrea Carboni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Bioversity International 2025-04-01
Series:Genetic Resources
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Online Access:https://www.genresj.org/index.php/grj/article/view/254
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author Ilaria Alberti
Manuela Bagatta
Andrea Del Gatto
Massimo Montanari
Daniela Pacifico
Andrea Carboni
author_facet Ilaria Alberti
Manuela Bagatta
Andrea Del Gatto
Massimo Montanari
Daniela Pacifico
Andrea Carboni
author_sort Ilaria Alberti
collection DOAJ
description The conservation and exploitation of industrial crops at the Cereal and Industrial Crop Centre of the Council for Research in Agriculture and Economics (CREA-CI, the Bologna and Rovigo Research Centres) date back to the beginning of the 20th century and has led to the development of a germplasm bank containing 2,237 accessions. This collection reflects the multidisciplinary approach to the study of these crops and consists of wild relatives, traditional ecotypes and landraces collected in Italy and Europe, breeding lines and populations, as well as ancient and modern varieties. The main crops of this collection are sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L., 381 accessions), flax (Linum usitatissimum L., 283 accessions), hemp (Cannabis sativa L., 90 accessions), potato (Solanum tuberosum L., 45 accessions), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L., 95 accessions), several species of the Brassicales order (75 accessions), castor bean (Ricinus communis L., 18 accessions) and grain legumes (1,250 accessions).This germplasm is maintained according to international standards; most of the accessions are stored in triple-layer vacuum bags and generally kept in two separate locations, at -20° to -25°C and/or in a cold chamber under low temperature (5°C) and low humidity, while the potato collection is maintained in vitro. Each of these crops has been studied using different approaches, including genetic and genomic studies as well as chemical analyses. This article describes the genesis and the evolution of the collection preserved at CREA-CI and how these plant genetic resources are fundamental to facing climate change, and ensuring global food security and environmental sustainability.
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spelling doaj-art-efdd92bd4a904127a5a3a8563c144cdb2025-08-20T03:08:37ZengBioversity InternationalGenetic Resources2708-37642025-04-01S210.46265/genresj.AUGZ3618History and future of industrial crop accessions preserved by CREA-CI in Bologna and Rovigo, ItalyIlaria Alberti0Manuela Bagatta1Andrea Del Gatto2Massimo Montanari3Daniela Pacifico4Andrea Carboni5Consiglio per la Ricerca in agricoltura e l’economia agraria – Centro di ricerca di cerealicoltura e colture industriali (CREA-CI) – Sede di Rovigo, Viale Amendola 82, Rovigo, 45100, ItalyConsiglio per la Ricerca in agricoltura e l’economia agraria – Centro di ricerca di cerealicoltura e colture industriali (CREA-CI) – Sede di Bologna, Via di Corticella 133, Bologna, 40128, ItalyConsiglio per la Ricerca in agricoltura e l’economia agraria – Centro di ricerca di cerealicoltura e colture industriali (CREA-CI) – Azienda sperimentale di Osimo, Via Cagiata 90, Osimo, 60027, ItalyConsiglio per la Ricerca in agricoltura e l’economia agraria – Centro di ricerca di cerealicoltura e colture industriali (CREA-CI) – Sede di Bologna, Via di Corticella 133, Bologna, 40128, ItalyConsiglio per la Ricerca in agricoltura e l’economia agraria – Centro di ricerca di cerealicoltura e colture industriali (CREA-CI) – Sede di Bologna, Via di Corticella 133, Bologna, 40128, ItalyConsiglio per la Ricerca in agricoltura e l’economia agraria – Centro di ricerca di cerealicoltura e colture industriali (CREA-CI) – Sede di Bologna, Via di Corticella 133, Bologna, 40128, Italy The conservation and exploitation of industrial crops at the Cereal and Industrial Crop Centre of the Council for Research in Agriculture and Economics (CREA-CI, the Bologna and Rovigo Research Centres) date back to the beginning of the 20th century and has led to the development of a germplasm bank containing 2,237 accessions. This collection reflects the multidisciplinary approach to the study of these crops and consists of wild relatives, traditional ecotypes and landraces collected in Italy and Europe, breeding lines and populations, as well as ancient and modern varieties. The main crops of this collection are sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L., 381 accessions), flax (Linum usitatissimum L., 283 accessions), hemp (Cannabis sativa L., 90 accessions), potato (Solanum tuberosum L., 45 accessions), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L., 95 accessions), several species of the Brassicales order (75 accessions), castor bean (Ricinus communis L., 18 accessions) and grain legumes (1,250 accessions).This germplasm is maintained according to international standards; most of the accessions are stored in triple-layer vacuum bags and generally kept in two separate locations, at -20° to -25°C and/or in a cold chamber under low temperature (5°C) and low humidity, while the potato collection is maintained in vitro. Each of these crops has been studied using different approaches, including genetic and genomic studies as well as chemical analyses. This article describes the genesis and the evolution of the collection preserved at CREA-CI and how these plant genetic resources are fundamental to facing climate change, and ensuring global food security and environmental sustainability. https://www.genresj.org/index.php/grj/article/view/254agrobiodiversityplant germplasmex situ conservationindustrial cropsgenebank
spellingShingle Ilaria Alberti
Manuela Bagatta
Andrea Del Gatto
Massimo Montanari
Daniela Pacifico
Andrea Carboni
History and future of industrial crop accessions preserved by CREA-CI in Bologna and Rovigo, Italy
Genetic Resources
agrobiodiversity
plant germplasm
ex situ conservation
industrial crops
genebank
title History and future of industrial crop accessions preserved by CREA-CI in Bologna and Rovigo, Italy
title_full History and future of industrial crop accessions preserved by CREA-CI in Bologna and Rovigo, Italy
title_fullStr History and future of industrial crop accessions preserved by CREA-CI in Bologna and Rovigo, Italy
title_full_unstemmed History and future of industrial crop accessions preserved by CREA-CI in Bologna and Rovigo, Italy
title_short History and future of industrial crop accessions preserved by CREA-CI in Bologna and Rovigo, Italy
title_sort history and future of industrial crop accessions preserved by crea ci in bologna and rovigo italy
topic agrobiodiversity
plant germplasm
ex situ conservation
industrial crops
genebank
url https://www.genresj.org/index.php/grj/article/view/254
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